When Andy Kennedy first arrived in Birmingham, he made clear he had one goal: to reestablish the Gene Bartow standard. After defeating Louisiana Tech and claiming the Conference USA tournament championship, it certainly seems like he’s done just that.

Now UAB (27-7, 14-4) is headed to the NCAA tournament for the first time in seven years, but if they want to advance, they’ll have to beat the toughest team they’ve faced this year: the Houston Cougars.

Houston (29-5, 15-3), a Final Four team a year ago, is again one of the nation’s winningest teams. With a NET ranking of 3 on Selection Sunday, the Cougars seem vastly under-seeded which could cause trouble for this Blazer team.

A nasty defense and strong rebounding make this Houston team a tough out. Despite injuries to key players Mark Sasser and Tramon Mark earlier in the season, they have managed to dominate the American conference, winning both the regular seasons and tournament championship. An eighteen-point win over Memphis – an NCAA tournament team themselves – capped off the Houston’s season and is propelling them into the tournament.

The Blazer will have to be prepared for a battle in the frontcourt. Cougar forwards Josh Carlton and Fabian White have dominated play all season long, each averaging over 10 points and five rebounds a game. Trey Jemison and KJ Buffen will have to be physical inside keep up with Houston in rebounding.

C-USA player of the year Jordan Walker is the star of this UAB team, but the Blazers can’t rely on Walker alone to keep pace with Houston’s balanced attack. If Walker and Ertel can get hot along with him, UAB will surely be a headache for Houston’s defense.

When the Blazer last entered the Conference USA tournament, they were a bracket buster no one saw coming. This time, the nation’s eyes are on UAB. And that’s just a part of the Bartow standard.

Tipoff is set for 8:20 p.m. at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. The game will be broadcast on TNT, Westwood One Radio and WJOX 100.5 in the Birmingham area.